


Air Mattress

by punchbowls



Category: Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica - James A. Owen
Genre: Fluff, Gen, This Is STUPID
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2018-10-12
Packaged: 2019-08-01 03:34:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16277024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punchbowls/pseuds/punchbowls
Summary: idhk just some dorks having a sleepover i guess





	Air Mattress

**Author's Note:**

> work was dead and this was born

Caretakers Jack, Fred, and Charles, had all had a long day running about and getting in and- remarkably- out of trouble. There had been a whirlwind of pirates, poison darts, giant frogs, and smack talking fish. After finishing their original tasks and removing themselves out of imminent danger, the sun was low on the horizon and they decided to stop at an inn for the night before returning home in the morning.

It wasn’t much of an inn, yet, as the keeper insisted. They were just starting out and the actual beds had not been delivered and set up. They were on the way and there were air mattresses they could sleep on instead, and there was a complimentary dinner if they were interested.

The innkeeper was so desperate and hopeful, that Charles agreed. Jack grumbled a little under his breath, and would rather have gone back home then and there, but he followed along with Fred to their room. It turned out that the food was good and the room wasn’t such a bad room. It was large, and furnished nicely with a colorful carpet, a desk, a painting of a ship at sea on one of the walls, and two nightstands with lamps next to where two beds would be. Deflated air mattresses were already sprawled out in their place, with a pump between them.

Charles thanked the innkeeper and settled into the room with the others. They stored their things in the little closet, and as Jack loosened his tie he was suddenly aware of how tired he actually was.

“Oh bother,” commented Charles, rummaging about the room.

“Did you lose something?” Fred asked.

“No, but there aren’t any blankets in here.”

“Maybe they’ll arrive with the beds.”

“Won’t do us any good if they do,” Jack put it.

Charles sighed, slipping his shoes back on. “I’ll go and ask if they have any.”

“Fred and I’ll blow up the beds.”

Jack ended up doing most of the pumping, Fred’s arms were too short to reach the whole way. After a few moments, the first mattress was blown up and the badger took a seat on it to test it out. He pushed it a little with his paw.

“Careful not to poke a hole in it,” Jack warned.

Fred nodded and folded his paws in his lap. “It’s really not too uncomfortable, you know?” He rolled backwards onto it and sprawled out his limbs.

“It’s better than nothing,” Jack agreed, beginning to pump up the second mattress. “It looks comfortable at this point anyroad.”

After pumping for several minutes Jack huffed and threw up his tired arms in resignation. “This one must already have a hole.”

He stepped backwards and let himself fall backwards onto the other mattress. As soon as he made contact, Fred, who had been making himself comfortable, was shot upwards and arched through the air with a startled shout, that was echoed by Jack.

At the same moment, Charles entered the room. As Fred plummeted into him, Jack had shot up to catch the badger. Instead, he reached out for Charles as the taller man tipped backward. Jack grabbed him by the arm and pulled. The three of them stumbled back and fell onto the mattress in a heap of limbs, blankets, and fur.

There was a moment of stunned silence, before Charles sputtered.

“What in god’s name were you two doing?”

Jack and Fred both spilled out an explanation, mixed in with several apologies to the badger from Jack.

“I have to say,” Fred added, “This is even more comfortable than just the mattress.”

“I think you’re right, Fred,” Jack grinned.

An indignant noise came from Charles, who had ended up mostly underneath both of them.

“Maybe a bit thin, but comfy nonetheless,” Fred continued. He poked Charles’s stomach and the other Caretaker jerked away with another squeak. He barely moved, with Jack in the way and weighing him down.

“I say, Charles!” exclaimed Jack, his grin growing,  “Are you ticklish?”

“I am a _distinguished_ editor, I am not-” Charles’s denial was cut off by a howl of laughter as Jack tickled his stomach.

“Get him, Jack!” Fred shouted. He snuffled his nose into Charles’s neck, making his whiskers dance over the exposed skin.

“Fred!” Charles wheezed between his laughter, “You traitor!”

Somehow, made possible by desperation no doubt, Charles managed to encase himself in the blankets and create a thick enough shield between him and his attackers. Jack and Fred sprawled over him instead, chuckling to each other.

“You’re both complete barbarians,” Charles growled, but there was mirth in his voice.

“At least you aren’t an aardvark,” Fred said.

“Or after the crew we ran into today, an aaarrrggvark,” Jack quipped.

Fred and Charles both groaned, and Charles covered Jack’s face with a blanket.

Jack grabbed it and wrapped it around himself and Fred and they snuggled against their friend.

“You can have the mattress after our despicable treatment,” Jack said, “but the other mattress has a hole in it, so you’re stuck with us.”

“How unbearable,” Charles replied as Fred settled onto his chest.

“Absolutely barbaric,” finished the badger.  

**Author's Note:**

> yeehaw


End file.
